Veteran goalie Emery to get tryout with Blackhawks

Emery, who finished last season with the Anaheim Ducks, will attend Hawks training camp in September on a tryout basis and plans to battle rookie Alexander Salak for the backup job to Corey Crawford.

"Ray's going to training camp with the thought to win a job," Emery's agent, J.P. Barry said Wednesday. "Ray's a pretty experienced goalie and he'll do his best to win one."

Emery is 94-53-15 with a 2.67 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 173 career NHL games. The 28-year-old played three seasons with the Ottawa Senators and helped lead them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007. After a year playing with Atlant of the KHL in Russia, Emery returned to the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers for the 2009-10 season but suffered a severe hip injury that threatened to end his career. Instead, Emery resurfaced with the Ducks last season and went 7-2-0 with a .926 save percentage. After leading Anaheim to the postseason, it did not re-sign Emery, making him an unrestricted free agent.

"Last year everybody saw the way Ray played," Barry said. "He answered every question along the way to show what kind of goalie he can be. (The Hawks) could end up with the best second goalie in the league."

Emery has been working with trainer Matt Nichol is Toronto and Barry said he's in "excellent shape."

The Hawks will hold Emery's rights through training camp and have until Oct. 1 to decide if they will keep him. Barry indicated that Emery is hoping to land an NHL job and is not interested in beginning the season in the American Hockey League.

"He’s an NHL goalie," Barry said. "He’s there to play in the NHL. That's what the plan is. He would not want to start in the 'A.' He certainly intends to be worthy of a one-way deal."

Crawford signed a three-year, $8 million contract to be the Hawks' starter in May and Salak inked a two-year, $1,225,000 deal a day later. It appears Emery and Salak, who has two NHL games under his belt with the Florida Panthers, will battle for the No. 2 job.

Marty Turco, who began last season as the Hawks' starter but became Crawford's backup, is an unrestricted free agent and won't return to the team.

ESPN.com first reported Emery's decision to join the Hawks on a tryout basis.